'99 2330 with hole in bilge

wellsit

Recruit
Joined
May 26, 2021
Messages
2
Hello, About a year ago I bought this '99 2330 w/ 7.4l MPI and Bravo 3. It's been a great boat with no issues so far, until I noticed a little hole gushing water.
It's located in the engine bilge, towards the front, near the bilge pump. It looks like it has been there a while and might have been purposefully created by a previous owner. I noticed it on the first time out this spring when I opened the engine hatch while underway and saw water flowing out of it.
At first I was concerned that I was taking on water, but I don't think that is the case. I think the water was from me cleaning the interior and spraying the boat out.
My concern is that the hole is allowing water under the bilge and into the structure of the boat.
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I was able to get a small tube in there a couple inches and pump out about a quart of water. I fear there is more water in there that I can't reach.
Anybody have ideas on what a hole like this is for or what I can do to prevent rot from the inside?
 

Grub54891

Vice Admiral
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
5,908
Weird one for sure. Is the garboard drain down low where it is on the outside of the transom? I ask as it's possible that there is a dead space under there that only drains when you take out the plug. If the plug is visible from the inside in the bilge pump area then there will be water trapped under there for sure. I'm curious now.....
 

wellsit

Recruit
Joined
May 26, 2021
Messages
2
The stern drain plug, under the out drive, drains from the bilge. Not the lower void space.
I'm thinking that the hole might be a screw hole from a previous bilg pump mount? The boat is 22 years old, so maybe the screw hole wore out?
I was able to pump about 1 qt of water from the void space but there is more down there that I can't get out.
Is there a forward bilge on these?
 
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